The mid-size BMW GS proves to be an excellent all-rounder

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to South Africa’s favorite adventure bike, the BMW GS.

The range starts with the G310 GS, progressing to the mid-size F800 and F900 and then the large-size R1300 GS. The F900 and R1300 are also offered in Adventure guise.

After trying the F900 GS Adventure last month, we delved further into the GS stable by hosting each of the F900 and F800 as guests for a week. The first one starts at R253 150 and the second one starts at R226 350.

Although these two motorcycles looked very similar on paper, their specifications meant that they were quite different. F800 is more road oriented, while F900 is more off-road oriented.

BMW F900 GS looks good

The F900 GS is wrapped in GS Trophy styling, which adds gold wheels, enduro hand guards and undercar protection, making it road-ready along with the optional Enduro Package Pro. The latter consists of Sport suspension, black handlebar, handlebar risers and M Endurance chain.

READ ALSO: BMW F900 GS offers a seductive Adventure for every motorcyclist

The cross-spoke wheels, 21 inches at the front and 17 inches at the rear, were coated with all-terrain rubber material. Although they perform great on gravel, they are still comfortable over long distances on asphalt.

The BMW F800 GS’s 19-inch and 17-inch cast aluminum wheels were shod with road-biased tires with no problems on long gravel roads.

Both motorcycles are powered by an 895 cc two-cylinder four-stroke engine that produces 77 kW of power and 93 Nm of torque in the F900 and 64 kW/91 Nm of torque in the F800. The mill is mated to a six-speed manual transmission that sends drive to the rear wheel via the chain.

The F800’s fuel tank holds 15 litres, while the F900’s capacity is 500ml less. The F800’s fuel economy reached an extremely frugal 4.6 L/100 km; The F900 achieved 5.5 L/100 km.

In terms of engine notes, the F900 GS has the advantage as it comes with the Akrapovič sports rear silencer as standard.

ALSO READ: R1250 shows why South Africans love the BMW GS bike badge

Smooth sailing

Another area where the F900 GS is more advanced is in suspension. It features an inverted 43mm Gabel at the front and a cast aluminum dual swingarm with SA Enduro Package Pro at the rear, compared to the F800’s 41mm telescopic fork. aluminum double sided swingarm with., central spring strut.

The brakes of both machines are the same. These consist of dual disc brakes at the front with two-piston 305 mm calipers. At the rear there is a single disc with a single-piston 265 mm caliper.

The BMW F800 GS is 8 kg heavier than the 227 kg F900 Gas. However, it offers a lower ride height of 760mm compared to 815mm of its bigger sibling.

Both motorcycles come standard with a 6.5-inch TFT color display with BMW Motorrad Connectivity, BMW Motorrad ABS Pro, Dynamic Traction Control, Rain/Road riding modes, LED headlight with daytime running lights and flashing direction indicators, hand guards, heated grips. and comes with 12V. USB sockets. Additionally, the F900 comes with an engine guard.

READ ALSO: BMW R1300 GS Adventure will take driving to a new level

Solution

Even though the BMW GS was tuned to different preferences, it still performed incredibly well on the open road and gravel tracks. This is proof of how well these machines are designed and manufactured. Whichever you decide, you won’t regret it.